How it works, precisely
Each voter ticks as many options as they like — none, one, all of them. Every tick is worth one point; the points are added up.
The ballot asks for no ranking: it is simply a line between what the voter accepts and what they reject. That cognitive economy is the method's main argument.
One remarkable consequence: tactical voting vanishes, because backing your favourite never stops you backing the compromise too. Being sincere about your preferences can no longer hurt you.
A worked example
A hundred people tick everything that works for them.
| Option | Approvals | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Bordeaux | 72 | 72 % |
| Lyon | 58 | 58 % |
| Lille | 41 | 41 % |
- Many of Lyon's 40 supporters also ticked Bordeaux.
- Bordeaux gathers 72 approvals: it is the venue most people accept.
- The total exceeds 100 % — that is normal: these are approvals, not exclusive votes.
Approval measures acceptability, not enthusiasm. For a decision the whole group has to live with, that is often the right question.
Where it comes from
Approval voting has ancestors: the Republic of Venice used it from the thirteenth century in some stages of electing the Doge, and several religious orders used it to choose their superiors.
Its modern formalisation dates from 1978, when Steven Brams and Peter Fishburn published « Approval Voting » in the American Political Science Review, making it the most studied method of the American revival in social choice theory.
It is used today by several learned societies (including the IEEE and the American Mathematical Society), by the UN Security Council for its straw polls on selecting the Secretary-General, and since 2018 for municipal elections in Fargo, North Dakota, joined in 2020 by St. Louis, Missouri.
Where it is used
- Picking a date, a venue or a restaurant, where several answers are acceptable.
- Shortlisting applications before interviews.
- Municipal elections in Fargo and St. Louis, internal IEEE ballots.
- Prevalence surveys, where you want what is widespread rather than what comes first.
Limits and pitfalls
- Very simple
- Favours consensus options
- No tactical voting
- Doesn't rank preferences
- Sensitive to each voter's threshold
- Little used, little known
Frequently asked questions
How many options should I tick?
Every one you would sincerely be happy with. The most robust strategy is to tick everything you prefer to the outcome you think is likely.
Is a total above 100 % normal?
Yes. You are not splitting a hundred votes: you are counting, for each option, how many people accept it. Read the percentages option by option.
Approval or majority judgment?
Approval takes one click and answers « is this acceptable? ». Majority judgment asks for a grade per option and answers « how good is it? ». Start with approval; move to grades when the nuances really matter.